when virgin soils are ploughed CO2 which is has been fixed for thousands of years is released into the atmosphere.
If the total amount of Carbon stored in soil is a much greater than all that of stored in living plants, why plough?
2007-10-18 13:39:54 · 3 answers · asked by Anonymous in Environment ➔ Other - Environment
We can still eat by changing to no till methods of farming which prevent soil oxidation
2007-10-18 14:08:34 · update #1
In response to question asked duplicate question in Agriculture:
All living things get their energy by respiration. So oxygen is absorbed from the atmosphere and carbon compounds are split into CO2 and water, the CO2 is returned to the atmosphere.
So living things can represent a sink keeping carbon out of the atmosphere but when living things die CO2 is returned to the atmosphere. Part of this, the decomposing bodies, decomposes very slowly and is stored in the soil. So soil is another carbon sink. The total amount stored in the soil organic matter is greater than that stored in living plants in temperate ecosystems. In temperate forests it is about twice as much. Tilling the soil exposes the soil organic matter to oxygen so gretly increases the rate of oxidation, that is the rate at which the decomposing microbes turn organic matter back to CO2 and water as they respire.
2007-10-18 16:15:30 · update #2
When virgin soils are ploughed CO2, that has been fixed for thousands of years, is released into the atmosphere. Repeated tilling of agricultural soils is a constant source of atmospheric CO2.
Worldwide soil carbon is estimated to amount to three times as much as that stored in the vegetation in ecosystems on land. Changing to a minimum/no tillage farming systems would have a significant role in maintaining the carbon sink and the soil.
Whitefield 2004 Earth Care Manual
Miguel 1995 Agroecology, the science of sustainable agriculture
Kourik 2004 Designing and Maintaining your Edible Landscape naturally
Renee 1992 Saving the Seed
Crop Genetic Resources in Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture FAO 1998
2007-10-18 16:16:23 · update #3
rolling on floor laughing - bella
2007-10-19 01:50:59 · update #4
Sounds as if you miss getting your field plowed.
And is it still considered virgin soil after it's been plowed even once?
2007-10-19 00:21:55 · answer #1 · answered by Dr Jello 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Because they are profitable, being rich in minerals, nutrients and nitrates. And because the people doing so care far more about that than any environmental impact they may be having.
2007-10-18 21:36:05 · answer #2 · answered by Twilight 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I bet you like to eat...
2007-10-18 20:45:27 · answer #3 · answered by gimpalomg 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋